West Texas Free Range Elk Hunt

[Silas_Norris]

What’s interesting is when I read the story it made me not want to go, to each their own but stoked the OP enjoyed it.

Yeah, i dont think outfitters are being booked up and raising prices due to my post. A bunch of drama queens on here. If people read my post they saw that after 3 days we had hardly seen a elk on our ranch and we were lucky to be successful. For the money I paid. I would hope to be on the elk almost daily. We got lucky

 

[COelk89]

Not a outfitter or associated with one

Fair enough. I looked back and I don't see the post folks are referring to either so it either was not posted or was removed. Sorry to shit on you. I am glad you enjoyed the experience.

 

[Silas_Norris]

Several people's comments in this post prove their ignorance about how hunting on private land in west texas actually works. There are countless free range exotics and game species in texas that only are allowed to exist because they are a crop to the landowners. If a elk is worth more than a cow, it gets to stay and reproduce. Same goes for Aoudad, Deer, and several african exotics. The landowners can get like 3k for a longhorn and as long as some of the exotics produce income, they get to exist. Those trying to keep texas a "secret" dont understand the importance of the economics. Elk could inhabit MANY more parts of texas than they currently do. When the elk hunts go up it is self regulating because ranch owners will start to promote populations of elk on their own ranches. This means there are more ranches with elk and that drives the price down. If elk prices stay down their population will as well in West Texas as other animals and the managment of those other animals will take priority over elk. In turn, this drives the prices up even more as there is a very limited area that these animals can be hunted in West Texas.
Its pretty basic economics.
What is driving costs up on elk is more to do with the odds of success and the population of elk in other states across the rockies. Many units are overloaded with hunters and the chances of shooting a trophy elk without 20 preference points is going down every year. This is driving people to want to look into private land options and pay the big bucks to actually have luck.
I have a few buddies that have gone out west for like 10 years. To date, none of them have shot a elk like I did in 3 days. At this point, they have all spent the time and money to shoot a elk like mine, but, they havent had the chance. More and more people are doing the math and seeing that chances of success are only like 5%. If that costs you $1,000-$1,500 dollars what should a elk hunt on private land with 100% success rate cost?

That is what is driving hunters that want to be successful to private land options.

For me, I do not care as much about success but rather I do not want to deal with a orange army of hunters and I am willing to spend some hard earned money in order to secure a spot that has elk and wont be interrupted by other hunters. If I do not get one, that is fine with me but I do not want to look across the valley and see more hunters than I do elk lol.

 

[COelk89]

Several people's comments in this post prove their ignorance about how hunting on private land in west texas actually works. There are countless free range exotics and game species in texas that only are allowed to exist because they are a crop to the landowners. If a elk is worth more than a cow, it gets to stay and reproduce. Same goes for Aoudad, Deer, and several african exotics. The landowners can get like 3k for a longhorn and as long as some of the exotics produce income, they get to exist. Those trying to keep texas a "secret" dont understand the importance of the economics. Elk could inhabit MANY more parts of texas than they currently do. When the elk hunts go up it is self regulating because ranch owners will start to promote populations of elk on their own ranches. This means there are more ranches with elk and that drives the price down. If elk prices stay down their population will as well in West Texas as other animals and the managment of those other animals will take priority over elk. In turn, this drives the prices up even more as there is a very limited area that these animals can be hunted in West Texas.
Its pretty basic economics.
What is driving costs up on elk is more to do with the odds of success and the population of elk in other states across the rockies. Many units are overloaded with hunters and the chances of shooting a trophy elk without 20 preference points is going down every year. This is driving people to want to look into private land options and pay the big bucks to actually have luck.
I have a few buddies that have gone out west for like 10 years. To date, none of them have shot a elk like I did in 3 days. At this point, they have all spent the time and money to shoot a elk like mine, but, they havent had the chance. More and more people are doing the math and seeing that chances of success are only like 5%. If that costs you $1,000-$1,500 dollars what should a elk hunt on private land with 100% success rate cost?

That is what is driving hunters that want to be successful to private land options.

For me, I do not care as much about success but rather I do not want to deal with a orange army of hunters and I am willing to spend some hard earned money in order to secure a spot that has elk and wont be interrupted by other hunters. If I do not get one, that is fine with me but I do not want to look across the valley and see more hunters than I do elk lol.

Silas I have a mule deer and WT lease in Terrell County. I do not want elk on my lease lol. I see idiots posting pictures on facebook of elk at their feeders. Sure elk can live in creosote and you can feed them they will live. I don't want that feed bill and I don't think most lease hunters want to feed an elk herd. You are not buying luck hunting private in Texas, it is pay to play and always will be.

edit: I left Texas but I still go back and play. Best of both worlds.!

 

[Silas_Norris]

Silas I have a mule deer and WT lease in Terrell County. I do not want elk on my lease lol. I see idiots posting pictures on facebook of elk at their feeders. Sure elk can live in creosote and you can feed them they will live. I don't want that feed bill and I don't think most lease hunters want to feed an elk herd. You are not buying luck hunting private in Texas, it is pay to play and always will be.

edit: I left Texas but I still go back and play. Best of both worlds.!

Yes I am in agreement with your post. I am just not sure why guys are blowing me shit for my write up on hunting elk in west texas. They think my post is going to blow up and outfitters will all double their price lol. The west texas elk hunting outfitters are all advertising already and there are pro hunters that are making show episodes about it. How do they think I found out about it? lol

 

[COelk89]

Yes I am in agreement with your post. I am just not sure why guys are blowing me shit for my write up on hunting elk in west texas. They think my post is going to blow up and outfitters will all double their price lol. The west texas elk hunting outfitters are all advertising already and there are pro hunters that are making show episodes about it. How do they think I found out about it? lol

You are not wrong but neither are they. The fact of the matter is there is always someone with more money to come in and take your place on an outfitted hunt or a lease (or buy a ranch out from under you). The people on rokslide are of a different type than those on facebook. More passionate, more protective, conservation minded, and by in large from my observations better hunters. We have all been burned in one way or another from spots becoming played out due to crowding. In your previous post you lay out the logic for why it may be more economical for many Texans to stay home and pay for a guided elk hunt, but that very logic is what could price you out someday if demand goes up (I say that knowing nothing about your financial situation, but assuming you probably don't want to be shelling out 15-20k year over year on an elk hunt.) The demand for elk in Texas will always out strip supply just like in every other state they occur. The price goes up and the wait to hunt (whether dealing with outfitters or points) goes up.

We are looking out for you as much as anyone. We want you to continue to be able to go on those hunts affordably if that is what you want to do. I got flamed a bit earlier this year for simply naming a unit I drew in a draw thread that was literally one of the governors tags auctioned in that state. It happens, lots of testosterone pumping, especially before season.

Congrats on the bull. I do hope to hunt an elk someday in Texas, preferably the Davis Mountains. I'll be on a guided mule deer hunt west of Ft Stockton this January hunting with my Dad. Big ranch, no orange army, and I can hunt at my Dads pace. Perfect. Texas is a great place to hunt, and offers many different styles of hunting if you can get in the door and are willing to pay.